During less-than-desirable weather, such as high winds and heavy rain, you may not want to ride your motorbike, as the conditions aren’t really ideal for a safe and comfortable ride.
If you’re packing away your bike for a little hibernation, you might be wondering if there’s any point in paying for motorbike insurance – but is it possible to freeze your bike policy? No, technically this isn’t possible, however you do have a few options at your disposal…
Declaring your motorbike SORN
If you’re not planning on riding your motorbike for several months, and you don’t want to pay to have it insured, you would need to declare it officially off the road and get a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). You can do this via the government website: Register your vehicle as off the road.
If you cancel your motorbike insurance policy but fail to declare your bike off the road, you risk being fined, or even having it seized by the authorities.
The government states: “You must insure and tax your vehicle if you don’t have a SORN. If you don’t, you’ll automatically be fined £80 for not having a SORN. There’s also a fine for having an uninsured vehicle.”
Keep in mind that once your motorbike is declared SORN, you won’t be able to take it for a quick spin, not even on a short journey. So if you think you may be tempted to go for a little ride on the road during this time, it’s best to not declare your motorbike as off-road, and carry on with your insurance.
Additionally, even if you’re not using your bike and you have comprehensive cover, it will be insured for any accidental damage or theft. Plus, you’ll continue to build up your no-claims discount (NCD) if you keep your insurance going.
Laid up motorbike insurance
Laid up motorbike insurance covers fire and theft only, providing you with the only cover you need while your bike is in storage. Rather than paying for comprehensive cover, laid up cover means you’re only paying for the level of cover you’ll actually need.
Laid up motorbike insurance is available for motorbikes over 30 years old, and is also subject to some other underwriting criteria, such as whether it’s garaged. You can work out with your insurer something called an ’agreed value’. An agreed value is the total value and cost of your motorbike if you were to buy it in its current condition, rather than its market value. It takes into account the age of your bike, its service history, whether it’s had any modifications, and other factors such as the total mileage.
Remember that even though it will be insured, you won’t be able to ride your bike with this type of cover.
Keeping it insured
For peace of mind that your motorbike is protected when you’re not riding it, you can carry on with your motorbike insurance as normal. And, as we’ve previously said, you can continue to build up your NCD during this period.
